As a fan of NJ director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Jersey Girl, etc) and the ongoing characters of "Jay & Silent Bob" (Smith and Jason Mewes ), I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them this weekend. Smith owns a comic book store in Red Bank, NJ (" Jay & Silent Bob\'s Secret Stash "; there's now also one on the West Coast), yet I had never taken the 30 minute ride up there. A perfect opportunity!

They were there promoting a new DVD that contains a 3-episode story arc from the Canadian television show " Degrassi: The Next Generation " in which they appeared. Also to be there were two regulars from the show: Stacey Farber ("Ellie") and Jake Epstein ("Craig"). I thought "cool", since I was a fan of the original series from the 80's. (Kevin Smith is a HUGE fan of the original series, so I'm glad I'm not the only one. lol)

Anyway - the event was to start at 1PM Sunday, so I figured I'd head out just after that so most of the fans would get through there, and I wouldn't have to wait so long. I even checked out their webcams to see how crowded it was for a couple hours beforehand, and there were hardly any people there. Bwahahahahahaha!!

Here's my photojournal...

1:30 PM

I'm driving past the store, and notice two lines - one was much shorter than the other, so I made a mental note to go to that line after I park. In fact, the longer line was REALLY long, wrapping around the block! Upon getting in the short line, I noticed that some people already had some stuff signed, so I thought to myself how selfish these people could possibly be, to get back on line! Luckily, within a few minutes I realized that this was a waiting line for people already in there, but since one of the Degrassi kids wasn't there yet, they were waiting to go back in. Unluckily, that meant that I had to walk over to the end of the long line. Naturally.

1:44 PM

Okay, this line was ridiculously long, wrapping around the block.



I figured, what the heck, will see how fast it goes. So I get to the BACK of the line. And for like 15 minutes, no one got behind me, so I was like, great, I'm gonna be the last asshole on this line! Then, a few people got behind me, but not that many. In fact, by the end, I think there were maybe two dozen people behind me.

2:42 PM

An hour later, I managed to reach that beige building, yet still didn't reach that fire engine on the left.



By now, however, the people behind me were cracking so many jokes, it made time go by a little faster. But not that fast, trust me. We were all calculating how long it'd take at this rate. Some people were calling work to say they'd be a little late. Yeah, a little!

3:15

About a half an hour later, I was overhearing someone say that people needed wrist bands to get in -- and none of us had them! Someone even said they had run out! After investing 1.5 hours on this line, I was like great!. BUT, I thought that was terribly stupid that they'd allow so many people to line up without knowing the "rules", so I decided to hang on and see what happens. At the very least, I was going to wait to give them a piece of my mind how the wristband issue couldn't have been known to anyone who just got on line!

Also around this time, someone walked passed with a bag, having been inside. They said that they had just gotten out, having waiting on the line since 9AM !!! They said they didn't start until 1:30, as well. That wasn't too encouraging. However, what a dumbass! Getting there 4 hours early sure means you'll get OUT earlier, but, you're still waiting hours longer than the rest of us -- cuz now it'd been 6 hrs for him!! lol

3:42 PM

At the 2-hour mark, there was no quitting now! Too much time invested, and, it looked promising since we were approaching, albeit slowly, to the corner of the street -- a huge milestone! What wasn't promising, though, was when one of the staff came around to the back of the line and asked if we had wristbands. How can we, since we didn't know anything about them?!!



For about 15 minutes we were "entertained" by that jagoff on the right who thought he was sooo important and cool because he was inside before the doors closed, talking to one of the cameramen from Smith's latest movie. Wooop-de-doo! You're outside waiting with the rest of us now, aren't ya? He was talking to that cameraman next to us, trying to get on set during the next shoot. What a moron.

The good news, though, was that the staff member came back, and cleared it up for us: You get wristbands INSIDE, after purchasing the Degrassi DVD, or equivalent. He said that they're gonna stay until everyone gets their chance. Whew! But he also told us that Jake Epstein (from Degrassi) would be leaving at 5 PM and that we probably wouldn't see him. I thought to myself, that's over an hour away! Maybe there's a chance, right?

4:12 PM

Wrong. Half an hour later, we finally turned the corner. The distance to the door was greater than I thought. I guess we'd miss Jake after all, but, I was more interested in Jay & Silent Bob anyway, of course!



There was a bar/restaurant on that corner, and all I wanted to do was go in there since I hadn't eaten anything all day. And I surely could've used a warming drink cuz by this time, the temperature dropped drastically from the mid-50s to probably the 40s. I was freezing my ass off, and my toes were getting numb by now. No one thought it'd take this long, so we were all still dressed for mid-50s sunny weather!

4:42 PM

By the 3-hour mark, it was now getting dark (!) and it didn't seem like we moved that much!



See where that Phone sign is in the two pics? That took half an hour! I really didn't expect to be on line so long -- it's not like we were waiting for Martin Scorsese or anything! But, obviously, it was too late to turn away now. Some people had to, though; what a tough break! (Yet, part of me was jealous they got to get off the line! lol)

5:10 PM

About 30 minutes later, I could see where the door was!



Now it's dark out. I'm freezing my balls off. That kid in front of me (left) was driving me crazy with the crying -- his freak parents had 3 young kids on line in the freezing cold this long!! I think they eventually left, even this close to the door! Good.

5:25 PM

Another 15 minutes later, I was actually able to SEE the door, and the sign above!



Woohoo!

[cont'd]

5:40 PM

However, it took another 15 minutes just to get this far. I got a bit nervous when Jason Mewes came out the front door to check the line -- but I figured I was pretty safe. He asked the doorman if that was the end of the line, it was, and he said "cool". Cool is right!



Apparently, they're only letting about 10 people in at a time. No wonder! This, now, is the 4-hour mark! And there were still a couple dozen people behind me. At one point, a staff member had the last person hold up a sign stating how he was the last person on line. Haha!



6:00

Finally, I'm right at the door. Of course, the batch before that was let in ended with the person ahead of me. But I knew I was next!

After I got in, it seemed there was hardly anyone in there! The signing, of course, was in the back, but the store itself was pretty empty. I didn't feel like waiting much longer to "go shopping" (I could always come back) so I just went to the counter to purchase the DVD to get signed, and headed to the back. Finally!

And there they were!



Trouble is... I didn't see Jay at the table, and thought SHIT!!! But luckily he was just taking a short break.

A few minutes later I was able to get my first good pics.

Here's the cutey Stacey Farber, from Degrassi:



And here she is talking to Jason:



And, here's the man himself - Kevin Smith - signing for the guy ahead of me. His sport shirt says "Total Whore" lol



BTW, of course the kid ahead of me had a video camera and proceeded to interview him, asking him tons of questions, like I felt like waiting even more to reach him!!

But, after devoting most of my day toward what I thought would just be a couple hours (I actually thought I'd make it home for lunch! lol)... here's the final result:

JAY...


What a cool guy! Made me wanna sneak out back and smoke a doobie with him! lol

...& SILENT BOB!


Whew!


[cont'd]

I own all the movies, but I only brought the DVD covers for Clerks and Strike Back with me. Here they are:



My friend figured out what Jay wrote: "Nootch!" (a common Jay-ism; I just couldn't "see" it). It's also kinda funny what Kevin wrote ("All Lies!") lol

So there you have it.

Many would consider me nuts for waiting so long. Perhaps I was. But a small price to pay, I think, for having the memories and pictures.

P.S. I watched the 3-episode Degrassi DVD later that night, after fulfilling my wish for a warm, full stomach. As much as I liked the original -- and I'm sure the Next Generation is okay and all, I haven't seen it -- I think it kinda blew. Maybe it's because I didn't know these characters. Or maybe it was because it was made for television, so Jay & Silent Bob couldn't curse up a storm or be vulgar like they usually are.

But even Kevin said in the extras that they suck and aren't funny in the least when they can't curse.

But Kevin is hilarious, however - anyone who's seen his stand-up college tour on DVD (" An Evening With Kevin Smith ") knows that!

THANK YOU jgeoff for sharing this with the rest of us.

As noted in the recent democratic election poll for RRA'S CULT MOVIE REVIEW, I'll eventually take a review into the "ViewAskew-verse" of Kevin Smith's New Jersey, whatever its CLERKS or MALLRATS(which actually performed better in the polling than I expected) or hell, even the pretty decent DOGMA.....

Again jgeoff, pretty damn cool dude. So what do you think of the very close upcoming CLERKS 2?

Wow, Geoff, how cool!

I'm not even a fan of these guys, and I'm excited for you!

I've always meant to take a look at some of their stuff, but I've never taken the time to. Regardless, it's so awesome that you stuck it out and ended up with such a memorable experience!

Very cool, JG! I like that we can "follow along" with your pictures and the time of day... I feel like I was there, minus the waiting around. Damn though, the sun goes down FAST in NJ!

Is that area of NJ as cool as it looks in the pictures? It looks like such a cute little place, with the pretty buildings and trees and stuff. Like it's right out of a movie or something.

Lucky bitch. :p

I love the one on Clerks. "All lies!"

Yeah, Red Bank, NJ has a very quaint downtown area with rows of shops and restaurants on both sides of the main street. It attracts the artsy and yuppie crowds, especially those with money burning through their pockets.

This is the town where I saw Al Martino perform 10 years ago (already? eww!) at the Count Basie Theater.

I haven't heard much about The Passion of the Clerks (2006) -- great title! -- but I find it cool that J&SB will be back yet again, after they had said that that was it for those characters!

But it should be neat seeing what happened to the Clerks characters 10 years later...!

Notice Jesus Christ is behind Kevin Smith...

Notice JG takes pictures with the 2 guys and not the decent looking female :p

Yeah, that would've looked great! Some "fan" twice her age taking pics with her. :rolleyes:
I tried - but she wouldn't take her top off. :p

Jealousy!!! How cool would that be if he did go outside with you..

shameless plug here... but... I wanted to send this diary thread to them, so, any other comments would be appreciated... or, are there not that many fans here?

How crazy. FX was just playing Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back too.

Sounds like a pretty cool expirience, Geoff.

I'm a huge fan. It started with Clerks and now I own all of their movies including the animated show.

long lost corleone...i love your avtar....readiohead is my favourite band.

and jeff...im so damn jealous of you. i love kevin smith, and his view askew movies. i own all of them as well, and am eagerly awaiting clerks 2. did you see his wife around there? she's reallys sexy.

Mine too. And I love your signature... Magnolia is one of my favorite films.

My, my. Aren't you the much hansomer, Canadian version of myself?

you seen Stacey Farber, from Degrassi you are lucky

Mine too. And I love your signature... Magnolia is one of my favorite films.

My, my. Aren't you the much hansomer, Canadian version of myself? [/b][/quote]why thank you sir, indeed if you were in toronto i would buy you a beer or three.

I can't believe it's been over 2 years now since that day! Don't get old, kids... do yourselves a favor! lol

Haha..any more advice, grandpa? Isn't it past your bedtime? I'm sure it's time to take your dentures out. <----Like so

Hey, I'm not the one who named himself after Vanilla Ice LOL

Hey, he was pretty popular back in the day. I believe you were applying for medicare when his first album came out, right?

Medicaide, smartass! lol

(course, neither... I'm a dumbass who still feels the need to spend hundreds/month for shit I never use...)

This is cool

Clerks is probably the best, and Clerks II the worst

I didn't mind Clerks 2.I thought it was alright.

I am reminded of "Stay gold, Ponyboy" line from THE OUTSIDERS. Many think it is a goofy teen movie, I think it was great!

You rule J Geoff! I've been a big fan of them since CLERKS. I remember being in SECRET STASH years ago in it's original location a few blocks away and have been to this one many times. The closest I get to Kevin Smith was seeing him years ago at the Monmouth Mall wheeling around his baby. I've also met and talked to Walt Flanagan who was in Clerks and who used to work behind the counter in SECRET STASH. My first indie film I played Brian O' Halloran's Girlfriends husband(Diana Devlin) and Dante himself showed up at my friends basement for the premiere. I'm a huge fan and appreciate you documenting that day and showing those pics-Cool as Hell Bro!